In the competition for the future shape of the Špitálka district, 27 contestants will compete

A record interest was attracted by the international open design competition for the future shape of the smart district Špitálka. A total of twenty-seven proposals arrived before the deadline on Monday, January 21, at the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno (KAM). The city of Brno announced the competition in October of last year. The individual proposals will be evaluated by a professional jury, which will select the best solution. Afterwards, KAM will present the results to the public.

The competition aims to provide solutions for transforming the underutilized western part of the Brno heating plant area on Špitálka Street. The area covers nearly twenty-five hectares. The city plans to build a new district there, which will offer housing but also facilities for services and new job opportunities. The task for competitors was to design the appearance of the new district while also considering the principles of a "smart city." This means utilizing modern technologies so that the new district is environmentally friendly and energy self-sufficient.

The winning design will be used by the council for the assignment of an area study, which will subsequently be used to change the Urban Plan of the City of Brno and for the actual construction and revitalization of this part of the city. The goal is also to test new technologies and innovative approaches that could then be expanded to the rest of Brno. Špitálka could thus serve as a model for further development.

The Špitálka project is part of a large European project RUGGEDISED, aimed at implementing innovative technologies and approaches for the development of urban districts. Such smart solutions include, for example, the use of energy from wastewater, a smart parking system that helps drivers find available spaces faster, or intelligent street lighting that responds to light levels and movement, among others. Brno is collaborating on the project with five European cities - Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Glasgow in Scotland, Umeå in Sweden, Gdańsk in Poland, and Parma in Italy.

You can find more about the competition on the KAM website: https://kambrno.cz/souteze/spitalka/